Seal



R. CLIBORN Dec. 15, 1953 SEAL Filed Oct. 4, 1950 fnl/En 227V /Qomr (Id/HORN Patented Dec. 15, 1953 dass SEAL

Robert Cliborn, Euclid, Ohio, assigner to Thompson Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 4, 1950, Serial N o. 188,424

6 Claims. 1

rhis invention relates generally to a mechanical face type shaft seal and more particularly to a cartridge unit shaft seal including a double seal arrangement cooperable with a rotatable shaft ring and having a drain between the double seals with a drain hole extending through the cartridge shell and further including a rotatable shaft ring provided with a lubricating passage nents thereof.

According to the general features of the present invention, a cartridge unit shaft seal is provided having a hollow generally cylindrical casing. A pair of sleeves and a hard metal shaft ring are adapted to be co-rotatably mounted in axial alignment on a rotatable shaft with the hollow casing generally surrounding the shaft ring. The casing is generally cup-shaped and has its open end closed by a cap so that each of ically clamped in the casing and the free end oi each is seated on a retainer ring constructed to engage one of the coil springs surrounding the shaft. A non-rotatable annular seal ring is also carried on the free end of each of the diaphragm sleeves and is arranged to be resiliently biased into sealing engagement with the radial seal faces of the shaft ring, thereby to establish a pair of spaced apart chambers in the cartridge with a medially disposed venting chamber therebetween.

One of the features of the present seal arrangement lies in the provision of a shaft ring having an cbiiquely disposed passageway extending from one radial face thereof opposite the cartridge. By such provision, the sealing face of the shaft ring may be adequately lubricated by the fluid in the chamber.

Another features lies in the provision of means defining a Venting passageway extending through the cartridge of the shaft seal so as to establish communication between the venting chamber and the atmosphere.

The outer periphery of the cartridge casing is preferably provided with means accommodating O-ring seal means so that the cartridge casing may be easily inserted within a housing member and an adequate sealing relationship may be readily established.

(Cl. 10B-111) It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved shaft seal whereby a fluid may be prevented from escaping through an opening provided in the wall of a mechanism housing through which a rotating shaft protrudes.

Another object of the present invention is to provi e a double seal arrangement in a single cartridge cooperable with a rotatable shaft ring and having a drain between the seals so as to vent any leakage outwardly of the cartridge.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheet of drawings in which a preferred embodiment of a seal constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view with parts in elevation of a typical housing element having a protruding shaft with a cartridge type shaft seal according to the present invention surrounding the protruding shaft in the housing.

Figure 2 is an end elevational View of a sleeve in the assembly of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the hub of the impeller of Figure l.

As shown on the drawings:

Although not limited thereto, the shaft seal constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention finds a particular utility when employed in connection with a high speed fuel pump driven by an air turbine or other suitable prime mover, the speed of rotation of the shaft with which the seal is associated approaching velocities as high as 35,000 R. P. M. It will be understood, however, that the sealing structure described and claimed can be effectively used wherever it is necessary to double seal a housing having an opening for a protruding shaft.

In Figure 1, a housing is indicated by the reference numeral it and includes a stepped bore defining a first enlarged recess H and a reduced diameter recess l2, there being an annular shoulder I 3 formed therebetween.

A cartridge-type shaft seal is indicated generally by the reference numeral M and includes a generally cylindrical cup-shaped casing lf3 substantially closed at one end as at Il and having the other end open as at IB. The closed end of the casing i6 has an aperture It adapted to pass a rotatable member as will be explained presently.

Adjacent the open end of the casing it is an annular flange 2li which is arranged to inglyabut the shoulder i3 formed between the recesses l! and l2.

A peripheral groove 2l is formed in the surface of the casing l5 and receives an O-ring gasket 22 arranged therein to provide a seal between the casing le and the Walls of the recess I2 in the housing Ell. A second O-ring gasket 23 is provided directly adjacent the flange for the same purpose. The casing i6 of the cartridge seal unit f4 is held in firm assembly with the housing lil and in the recess I2 thereof by means of a sleeve 2d which is pressed or otherwise suitably inserted in the recess il of the housing ill into engaging abutment with the flange 20 of the casing IG. A suitable spacer ring 23 is provided interiorly of the sleeve 24 and abuts the flange 23 so that a bearing means 21 including an inner race 21a, an outer race 2lb and shiftable elements 2'a'c may be mounted in the sleeve 24 to rotatably receive the protrusion of a shaft 23. In the particular embodiment shown in Figure l, the shaft 23 is provided with a ange 23a and a first reduced diameter portion 28h which together form a recess in which is received the inner race 21a of the bearing means 21, there being a further reduced diameter portion 28e extending away from the first reduced diameter portion 28h with a shoulder 28d formed therebetween.

The end of the reduced diameter portion 28e is provided with a threaded recess 28e which threadedly receives a fastening stud 29 employed to mount a centrifugal impeller on the end of the shaft 28. The end face of the shaft portion 28e is castellated to provide a plurality of keyways (preferably six) 28j around the recess 28e.

1t will be noted that the housing i0 is provided With an annular groove 3| concentrically disposed relative to the recess l2 and arranged to receive in pressed relationship therewith a suitable metal wearing ring 32 which cooperates with an axially extending annular rib 33 formed on the impeller 3Q and arranged in concentric close-running clearance relationship.

Turning now to the details of construction of the cartridge type seal unit i4, it will be noted that a pair of sleeves 34 and 35 are provided and are arranged to telescope over the reduced diameter portion 28o of the shaft 28. The sleeve 33 engagingly abuts the shoulder 28d on the shaft 28 at one end and the other end thereof is employed to abut a rotating hard metal shaft ring 31. The sleeve 34 engages the other side of the shaft ring 3'! and has an end face 34a threaded onto the stud 23 to overlie the castellated end face of the shaft portion 28e. The sleeve 34 is tightened against the shaft ring 31 to cause the ring to be pinched between the sleeves 34 and 35i, thereby to effect a co-rotatable relationship with the shaft 28. The shaft ring 31 is preferably lapped on both radial faces so as to provide a first seal face 31a, and a second seal face 31h.

The end face 34a of the sleeve 34 has a ring I of holes 34D (Fig. 2) therearound to register with the keyways Zf. The impeller 3S has a slotted stud-receiving aperture .fiile through its hub portion. Diametrically opposed radial slots 33;* are registered with a pair of holes 34h of the sleeve 34 and this pair of holes, in turn, is registered with keyways 281 of the shaft. A key or pin P is dropped into each slot 381) through the hole 31th and into the keyway 28j to lock the impeller and the impeller.

sleeve 34 on the shaft. A washer W on the stud overlies the slots 3019 and a nut N threaded on the stud bottoms the impeller 30 on the end face 'dea of the sleeve and clamps the washer against The pins P under the washer W are sufficiently long so that they cannot drop out of the keyways.

The casing i5 is provided with a generally cylindrical wall portion forming a plurality of stepped counter-bores progressively increasing in diameter toward the open end I8 of the casing, thus, a flexible sleeve type diaphragm 33 made of a suitable elastic material is provided with an annular flanged end portion having an axially extending portion arranged to engage the Wall portion of the casing I5 and with the flanged portion arranged to engage the shoulder 33 formed between the innermost counterbored stepped portions. The diaphragm 38 is retained in firm assembly within the cartridge casing it mechanically, for example, by means of a metal band 40.

A metal retainer ring 6| is provided to snugly receive the other end of the diaphragm 3B, the retainer ring 4! being provided with a flared flange portion Illa, which is arranged to bottom one end of a coil spring 42 having its opposite end engaging the closed end portion i1 of the casing l5, thereby to normally bias the retainer ring 4l together with the end of the diaphragm 38 in an axial direction.

On the other side of the shaft ring 31, a somewhat similar seal diaphragm arrangement is provided. An annular ring-like cap member 43 having a central aperture 44 encircles the reduced diameter portion 28e of the shaft 28 and is telescopically received by the casing I6. A second flexible sleeve type diaphragm 46 made of a suitably elastic material engages the wall portion of the casing i6 and is clamped in firm assembly therewith between a flanged annular shoulder formed on the ring 43 and an insertable sleeve 41 which is also telescopically received by the casing 46. It will be noted that the insertable sleeve 41 is provided with the medial shoulder 48 which abuts a similarly formed annular shoulder 43 formed between the stepped counterbores of the casing I5.

The other end of the diaphragm is snugly received by a metal retainer ring 50 having a flanged portion 59a arranged to bottom one end of a coil spring 5| having its opposite end seated on the body portion of the ring-like cap 43, thereby to resiliently bias the ring 50 and the end of the diaphragm 45 in an axial direction.

A pair of non-rotatable seal rings 52 and 53, respectively, preferably made of a softer material than the shaft ring 31, for example, carbon or the like are supported by the diaphragms 38 and 46, respectively. Each of the non-rotatable seal ringe 52 and 53 are provided with an axially extending annular rib portion 52a or 53a, respectively, constituting bearing surfaces for sealingly engaging the respective sealing faces 31a and 31h of the shaft ring 31. Since the seal rings 52 and 53 are preloaded by the coil springs 42 and 5| and are fioatingly supported by the flexible diaphragms 3B and 46, the nonrotatable seal rings 52 and 53 will run square on the shaft ring 31 and together with the shaft ring 31, as well as the casing l5, will establish a first chamber 54, a second chamber 55 and a medial venting chamber 56.

It should be noted that the insertable ring 41 is provided with an axially extending portion created by the yfrictional contact of the. seal ring 52 with; the ring 31.

It should also be noted, `that the shaftring 3L? is provided with an obliouely disposed passageYF sealing face 37a of the Shattway 59 which extends from thesealing face .31a`

directly opposite the rib 52a of the seal ring 5,2. to the opposite sealing face ,37b of the shaft ring 31 at a point radially inwardly of the rib 53a of the seal ring 53 and in communication with the chamber 55. The passageway berinits fluid to move from the chamber to the tace of the Seal provided between the sealing face 37a and the. seal. ring 52.

As is clearly indicated on the drawing, meansare provided deiining a venting passageway Gil which .extends through the housing land, lies in registry with an aperture Si formed in the casing Itv as well as an aperture 62 formed in the insertable ring 4l, thereby to establish venting communication between the Venting Cham.- ber 5B. and the atmosphere.

In the present embodiment the cartridge unit I4 provides a double Seal arrangement between the iinpeller enel o f a pump and the pump housing, thus, if any fuel Ileaks into the venting chain ber 57E from the chamber 5.4, it Will be ventedA to the atmosphere through the aperture 62, .the aperture 5l and the venting passageway 60. Moreover, lubricant carriedl in the chamber will be Supplied to lubricate the seal contact, between .the shaft ring 31 and the seal ring A5lY on the fuel side thereof7 In operation, it will be apparent that the sealing arrangement described affects a mu1ti-iour bose function in that the double seal arrangement within a single cartridge oase not only eiectively seals between the numb. and atmete chere, the fuel chamber 5.4, being isolated by the diaphragm 38 and the sealing ring 52, but iu addition seals between the lubrication Chamber and atmosphere, the lubrication chamber .5,5 being isolated by the flexible diaphragm 46 and the. sealing ring 5i, aud in so doing, any fuel leakage which might possibly ooour exits the venting chamber 5S to the .atmosphere through the venting passageway sa Although I have resorted to detail .in describa-- fue the structural features of the preferred @ma bodiment of my invention, it should be andere stood that I Wish to embody Within the SCOPE of. this patent all such inodiiieations as reasonably and properly como within the stone of my contribution to the I claim as my invention:

cartridge unit shaft seal eoinnrising, in cora Iiiatiou, a hair of sleeves. .and a shaft ring adapted to be c.0.-rotatably mounted in axial alignment on a rotatable Shat, Sad Shaft ring being clamped betr/vtm said sleeves, a ouri sha-bed casing having a generally cylindrical wall portion forming a plurality oi stepped counter,- bores progressively increasing in .diameter to` ward the oben end of the easing arranged around sanitair in une locale er said shaft una a sisi coilv serias having end engaging the Closed end of the Casing arranged to ehoirole one of said .pair of sleeves, a first retainer ring seating portion forming a plurality ofrotation of the non-rotatable the other .end of said first coll spring, a rst flexible diaphragm sleeve having oneiendt snugly seated on said. Yl-rst retainer ring and the other engaging said wall portionV of said casing engage a second annular abutment formed between said stepped counterbores, said sleeve and said firstV annular seal ring having interlocking ina-ting means to relieve torsional strain on said first diaphragm sleeve. a second iieXible diaphragm sleeve having one end engaging said. Wall portionof said casing. and shouldered4 against said' insertable sleeve, a second retainer ring seating the other end of said second diaphragm sleeve, a

end of said diaphragm sealv and having an axially` extending rib arranged to engage said shaft ring, a can telescopically received and locked in the onen and of saidr casing, said cap being arranged to ,clamp said one end of` said second diaphragm sleeve against said insertable sleeve, and' a sec-H o d ,coil spring in said casing having one end e easing said Cap and the other end engaging second retainer ring to resiliently bias the. lib porti o f said second seal into sealing enf, gagemeiltwith the other radial face of said shaft ringaltridge unit shaft seal comprising, in .1, .a pair .of

- shouldered against a being clamped between said sleeves, a cupi-shaped Casing having a generally cylindrical wall portion :forming a plurality of stepped counterbores progressively increasing in diameter toward the Open end of the .casing arranged around said spring having one end engaging the closed end of the. casing and arranged to encircle one of said pali' of sleeves, a rst retainer ring seating the other ond of .Said `rst coil spring, a first flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end snugly seated on said first retainer ring and the other end engaging said wall portion of said casing and formed between said stepped counterbores, a press ring' mechanically locking said other end of said rst diaphragm sleeve in said casing, a first annular seal ring encircling said one end of said first diaphragm sleeve and having an axially extending ribarranged to engage one radial face of said shaft ring under the bias of said rst coil spring, a sleeve insertable in said casingand having a medial annular shoulder arranged to engage a second annular abutment formed between said stepped counterbores, said sleeve and said first annular seal ring having interlocking mating means to relieve torsional strain on said rst iaphragm sleeve, a second flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end engaging said Wall portion rst annular abutment a cap telescopically received and locked in the open end of said casing, said cap being arranged to clamp said one end of said second diaphragm sleeve against said insertable sleeve, and a second coil spring in said casing having one end engaging said cap and the other end engaging said second retainer ring to resiliently bias the rib portion of said second seal into sealing engagement with the other radial face of said shaft ring, said shaft ring being liquely disposed passageway extending from said one radial face of said shaft ring adjacent said first seal ring to said other radial face of said shaft ring radially inwardly of said second seal ring.

3. A cartridge unit shaft seal comprising, in combination, a pair of sleeves and a shaft ring adapted to be co-rotatably mounted in axial alignment on a rotatable shaft, said shaft ring being clamped between said sleeves, a cup-shaped casing having a generally cylindrical Wall portion forming a plurality of stepped counterbores progressively increasing in diameter toward the open end of the casing arranged around said shaft in the locale of said shaft ring, a first coil spring having one end engaging the closed end of the casing and arranged to encircle one of said pair of sleeves, a first retainer ring seating the other end of said first coil spring, a first flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end snugly seated on said first retainer ring and the other end engaging said wall portion of said casing and shouldered against a first annular abutment formed between said stepped counterbores, a press ring mechanically locking said other end of said rst diaphragm sleeve in said casing, a first annular seal ring encircling said one end cf said first diaphragm sleeve and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage one radial face of said shaft ring under the bias of said first coil spring, a sleeve insertable in said casing and having a medial annular shoulder arranged to engage a second annular abutment formed between said stepped counterbores, said sleeve and said first annular seal ring having interlocking mating means to relieve torsional strain on said first diaphragm sleeve, a second flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end engaging said wall portion of said casing and shouldered against said insertable sleeve, a second retainer ring seating the other end of said second diaphragm sleeve, a second annular seal ring encircling said other end of said diaphragm seal and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage said shaft ring, a cap telescopically received and locked in the open end of said casing, said cap being arranged to clamp said one end of said second diaphragm sleeve against said insertable sleeve, and a second coil spring in said casing having one end engaging said cap and the other end engaging said second retainer ring to resiliently bias the rib portion of said second seal into sealing engagement with the other radial face of said shaft ring, said easing and said insertable sleeve being provided with a venting aperture between said first and second diaphragm seals.

4. An impellei' shaft seal which comprises a shaft having a shoulder, a castellated end face spaced axially therefrom and a threaded stud projecting axially from said end face, a first sleeve on the shaft bottomed on said shoulder, a shaft ring on the shaft bottomed on the first sleeve, a second sleeve on the shaft bottomed on the shaft ring and having a perforated end face threaded on the stud and overlying the castelprovided with an obfil lated end face of the shaft, said castellated end face providing keyways adapted to be registered with the perforations in the end face of said second sleeve, an impeller having a hub on said stud with keyways adapted to be registered with said perforations, pins in the hub keyways extending through said perforations into said shaft keyvvays, a nut threaded on the stud and bottoming the inipeller hub on the end face of the second sleeve, said sleeves pinching the shaft ring therebetween, seal rings riding on opposite faces of the shaft ring, a flexible diaphragm secured to each seal ring, and a casing surrounding the shaft and sealingly carrying said diaphragme therein, whereby said shaft ring will rotate between the seal rings in sealing engagement therewith.

5. A shaft seal comprising, in combination, a shaft ring adapted to be corotatably mounted in axial alignment on a rotatable shaft, a casing having a generally cylindrical wall portion ai'- ranged around said shaft, a first coil spring having one end connned with respect to said casing and arranged to encircle said shaft, a rst retainer ring seating the other end of said first coil spring, a first flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end snugly seated on said first retainer ring and the other end engaging said casing, a first annular seal ring encircling said one end of said first diaphragm sleeve and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage one radial face of said shaft ring under the bias of said first coil spring, a spacer sleeve in said casing, said spacer sleeve and said first annular seal ring having interlocking mating means to relieve torsional strain on said first diaphragm sleeve, a second flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end engaging said casing and shouldered against said sleeve, a second retainer ring seating the other end of said second diaphragm sleeve, a second annular seal ring encircling said other end of said diaphragm seal and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage said shaft ring, and a second coil spring in said casing having one end confined with respect to said casing and the other end engaging said second retainer ring to resiliently bias the rib portion of said second seal ring into sealing engagement with the other radial face of said shaft ring, said shaft ring being provided `with an obliquely disposed passageway extending from said radial face of said shaft ring adjacent said first seal ring to said other radial face of said shaft ring radially inwardly of said second seal ring.

6. A shaft seal comprising, in combination, a shaft ring adapted to be corotatably mounted in axial alignment on a rotatable shaft, a casing having a generally cylindrical wall portion arranged around said shaft, a first coil spring having one end confined with respect to said casing and arranged to encircle said shaft, a first retainer ring seating the other end of said first coil spring, a first iiexible diaphragm sleeve having one end snugly seated on said rst retainer ring and the other end engaging said casing, a first annular seal ring encircling said one end of said first diaphragm sleeve and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage one radial face of said shaft ring under the bias of said first coil spring, a spacer sleeve in said casing, said spacer sleeve and said first annular seal ring having interlocking mating means to relieve 'torsional strain on said first diaphragm sleeve, a second flexible diaphragm sleeve having one end engaging said casing and shouldered against said sleeve, a second retainer ring seating the other end of said second diaphragm sleeve, a second annular seal ring encircling said other end of said diaphragm sleeve and having an axially extending rib arranged to engage said shaft ring, and a second coil spring in said casing having one end confined with respect to said casing and the other end engaging said second retainer ring to resiliently bias the rib portion of said second seal ring into sealing engagement with the other radial face of said shaft ring, said shaft ring being provided with an obliquely disposed passageway extending from said radial face of said shaft ring adjacent said first seal ring to said other radial face of said shaft ring radially inwardly of said second seal ring, said casing and said spacer sleeve being provided with a venting aperture between the seals elected by said first and second diaphragm sleeves.

ROBERT CLIBORN.

Number 15 511,217

Name Date Emmet Sept. 6, 1932 Erni June 3, 1941 Mueller May 13, 1947 Solari July 6, 1948 Voytech May 17, 1949 Arutunoff Aug. 23, 1949 Synek Jan. 23, 1951 Kidney June 5, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Oct. 29, 1930 

